Four-foot Pelican on the loose after breaking out of zoo to fight off seagulls

08 August 2023 , 15:24

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A pelican flew away from a zoo when it was scared by a flock of gulls (Image: Blackpool Zoo / SWNS)

A four-foot pelican is on the loose in a British seaside town after escaping its zoo enclosure as it was scared by a flock of seagulls.

The 14-week-old bird - which has a five-foot-long wing span - flew away from Blackpool Zoo, Lancs, after being scared by the squawking gulls. Keepers at the zoo lost sight of the bird at around 4pm on Friday. They believe it headed towards the South Shore area of Blackpool.

Today, zoo staff continued to search for the pelican but asked members of the public to not approach the bird in case it became scared. The pelican has been seen in the area since and the zoo remains "hopeful that it will be found".

The "docile" bird has not been given a name yet - as the zoo normally names them once tests have been carried out to determine the bird's gender. The zoo has housed the "magnificent species for many years" and they are the only place in the UK to have successfully bred the birds.

Keepers at zoo are searching for the pelican (Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)

A Blackpool Zoo spokesperson has said this is the "first time" they have had an incident like this. They said: "Pelicans are beautiful, docile creatures and there is no threat to the public. We would ask that people do not approach the bird if they see it as it they may scare it.

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"Blackpool Zoo has housed this magnificent species for many years. We are the only collection in the UK to have successfully bred them, which makes the youngster very special. This is the first time we have had an incident like this, which was down to the ever-growing problems we, and the town, continue to have with seagulls."

In April this year, the zoo advertised for 'seagull deterrents', a role which would see successful applicants dressed up in bird costumes to scare away the nuisance birds.

Over 250 people from the UK, Thailand, America, India, Australia, Italy, Ukraine and Kenya applied for the role. Anyone who has seen the bird recently is urged to ring 07799226908.

A few years ago, a giant emu went on the loose in Sheffield, with shocked commuters spotting the giant bird as they made their way to work. The lost bird - nicknamed Eddie - was seen wandering in and out of residents' driveways in Beighton, Sheffield.

Police called to the scene rang local farms and animal attractions in a bid to trace the owner - and took to Twitter to ask for help. Mum-of-four Tilly Newton, 44, told the Sheffield Star: "I looked outside this morning and saw the emu in my neighbour's garden and him filming it. It was really bizarre to say the least. It's not the kind of thing you see every day."

Izzy Hawksworth